(1) As Marc notes, the outlets holding the documents have not forsworn publication. That gives them the advantage of timing.
(2) The Times, Post, and Politico may be thinking ahead about possible downsides of publication if trump becomes president. His campaign has already floated the warning of "aid and comfort to th…
(1) As Marc notes, the outlets holding the documents have not forsworn publication. That gives them the advantage of timing.
(2) The Times, Post, and Politico may be thinking ahead about possible downsides of publication if trump becomes president. His campaign has already floated the warning of "aid and comfort to the enemy," Iran. This could become a pretext for moving against the platforms on national-security grounds if trump wins, potentially setting in motion a crack-down on the media, as Orban has done in Hungary. With his SCOTUS-conferred immunity for official acts, trump would have a free hand for a personal/political vendetta against disfavored news outlets. The chilling effect of presidential immunity that SCOTUS was warned about before its ruling may already have come to pass.
A couple of thoughts:
(1) As Marc notes, the outlets holding the documents have not forsworn publication. That gives them the advantage of timing.
(2) The Times, Post, and Politico may be thinking ahead about possible downsides of publication if trump becomes president. His campaign has already floated the warning of "aid and comfort to the enemy," Iran. This could become a pretext for moving against the platforms on national-security grounds if trump wins, potentially setting in motion a crack-down on the media, as Orban has done in Hungary. With his SCOTUS-conferred immunity for official acts, trump would have a free hand for a personal/political vendetta against disfavored news outlets. The chilling effect of presidential immunity that SCOTUS was warned about before its ruling may already have come to pass.